Kerala: Doctors intensify protest, demand arrest of accused in junior surgeon assault case

Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], June 25 : Citing the non-arrest of the accused, an alleged police trainee, who allegedly assaulted a doctor on duty at the District hospital of Alappuzha, the Kerala Government Medical Officers' Association (KGMOA) is set to intensify its protest on Friday.
Sharing the details of the boycott, KGMOA's President, Dr GS Vijayakrishnan said, "A doctor was assaulted by a police officer in Kerala. No arrest has been made yet. We are going to boycott all specialty OPDs in government hospitals and general OPDs for 1 hour, without hindering emergency, ICU services."
As part of the protest, specialty OPDs and non-emergency surgeries will be boycotted in state-wide institutions under the health department.
The KGMOA has informed the government that other outpatient services will be suspended from 10 am to 11 am and that the protest rallies will be held in all institutions. However, the KGMOA authorities have assured that the emergency department, emergency surgeries, labour room, IP treatment, Covid treatment, and preventive measures will not be disrupted.
The doctors at the district hospital in the Mavelikkara area of Alappuzha district have been protesting since June 3, alleging the inaction of police over an incident where a junior consultant surgeon Dr Rahul Mathew was assaulted by a COVID patent's relative on May 14.
According to the Kerala Government Medical Officers Association, the accused in the case was a police trainee, and his mother, a COVID patient was brought dead to the hospital.